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The Freedom of Oxford title is awarded to people of distinction and people who have “rendered eminent services to the city,” according to
Oxford council
. It doesn’t have any rights attached to it other than to attend formal Council meetings.

Only 34
people and organisations
, including Suu Kyi, have been awarded the honour since 1900 — including Nelson Mandela and author Philip Pullman. Suu Kyi was awarded her Freedom of Oxford in 1997, for her “long struggle for democracy.”

But a motion to Oxford City Council said it was “no longer appropriate” for her to hold it, the
Oxford Mail
reported on Tuesday, with Oxford City Council members voting unanimously to support the cross-party motion.

Local authority leader Bob Price said it was an “unprecedented step” for the council, reported the
BBC
. He said people are “absolutely appalled” by the situation in Myanmar, and that it was “extraordinary” Suu Kyi hadn’t spoken out about the alleged atrocities.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing Myanmar after violence erupted following August 25, when Rohingya militants attacked security posts in Myanmar and triggered a military crackdown against the Rohingya people.

Image: Mushfiqul Alam/AP

Suu Kyi has been heavily criticised by the international community and human rights groups such as Amnesty International for failing to denounce the military or take action about allegations of ethnic cleansing.

“At times, her speech amounted to little more than a mix of untruths and victim blaming,”
read
the statement. “There is overwhelming evidence that security forces are engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing through murder and forced displacement. While it was positive to hear Aung San Suu Kyi condemn human rights violations in Rakhine state, she is still silent about the role of the security forces in this.”

Suu Kyi referred to the Rohingya only once during her 30-minute speech, and lamented the international community’s narrow focus on the plight of the Rohingya, saying that this is just one of the many problems the country is trying to address.

Suu Kyi has a long history connecting her with the city of Oxford. She studied philosophy, politics, and economics at the University of Oxford between 1964 and 1967, before marrying Oxford academic Michael Aris in 1972. The couple also raised their two sons, Kim and Alexander, in the city.